Saturday 7 March 2026

Good morning Bangkok. We're looking at 27-29°C (81-84°F) today under clear skies. Proper hot season Saturday vibes. PM2.5 is sitting at 88 µg/m³ (moderate/orange level), so maybe save the morning run for the air-con gym. Middle East tensions are hitting Thai fuel pumps. Plus: police bust a ฿100M/day gambling ring inside a Rama 9 luxury condo, and we've got your weekend sorted. Let's go.

Prime Minister Anutin slapped an immediate ban on fuel and LPG exports following escalating tensions in the Middle East, citing concerns about domestic shortages. The order, published in the Royal Gazette, covers most petroleum products, though Laos and Myanmar still get their supply under existing agreements. It's a defensive play to keep Thai pumps flowing if global oil markets go sideways, which they're threatening to do. PTT and Bangchak have already frozen prices for 15 days. Shell hiked theirs before the freeze kicked in. Meanwhile, the BOI hosted 800+ Chinese investors at the Siam Kempinski this week, so the timing is interesting: Thailand positioning itself as stable while the region wobbles.

Bottom line: Fill up your tank now just to be safe, but don’t stress too much. Prices aren't officially spiking yet, but government fuel bans rarely signal cheaper gas ahead. Thailand has 60 days of reserves and is sourcing from the US, West Africa, and Malaysia as backups. This one's straight out of the "better safe than sorry" playbook, and given what's brewing in the Gulf, probably smart.

Police raided a first-floor office inside a luxury condominium near Rama 9 on Tuesday and found 94 Vietnamese nationals operating an online gambling network estimated to process over ฿100 million per day. Officers from Makkasan Police Station, Immigration Police, and the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau seized 68 computers and nearly 500 mobile phones. Screens were still showing Vietnamese-language casino and football betting pages when police walked in. The operation ran 24/7 in rotating shifts of at least 20 people, behind a locked door with full-time security guards. Neighbors had been complaining for months. The workers told police through an interpreter that they were recruited for "customer service" jobs and didn't know it was gambling until they arrived. None would identify the boss.

Bottom line: If you live in the Rama 9/Asoke area and noticed a suspicious amount of activity in your building's shared spaces, this is why. It's also a reminder that Bangkok's luxury condo market has a recurring blind spot: management companies renting to shell operations and looking the other way until neighbors force the issue. The 94 workers face charges for organized crime and operating illegal gambling websites.

A casual restaurant specializing in old-school Thai recipes that have mostly disappeared from modern menus. Run by chefs Bo and Dylan, the Michelin-starred duo behind Bo.lan and Netflix Chef's Table alumni. The crispy rice salad with sour pork is addictive, the dried chili dips are serious, and the smoked fish laab is a dish you won't find at 99% of Thai restaurants. The space features exposed brick, vintage Thai posters, and a no-fuss vibe. 4.1 stars on Google with 880+ reviews. Closed Wednesdays.

TIP: Walk-ins work on weekdays but book ahead for Saturday nights. ฿300-600 per person.[Want to reach Bangkok's English-speaking readers every morning? Your brand here. Reply to this email for our media kit.]

7 March 1876: Alexander Graham Bell was granted a patent for the telephone. 150 years later, Bangkok's most reliable communication method is still sending your location pin on LINE and hoping your friend actually checks it before getting on the wrong BTS line.

See you tomorrow morning. — Devon